Norwich signing this 19-goal hitman from Championship rivals would be a huge boost to their attacking firepower

Norwich City Opinion: Canaries should reignite their interest in Jarrod Bowen

According to Daily Mail, Cardiff City had made a £12 million bid for Hull City winger Jarrod Bowen in January following the tragic helicopter incident over the English Channel involving club-record signing Emiliano Sala. However, the 22-year-old turned down a move keeping in mind the disturbing circumstances at Cardiff.

The same report claims that Norwich City are also keeping close tabs on the Englishman and the Canaries might make a move for the prolific winger at the end of the season.

Bowen has been in terrific form for the Tigers in the Championship this term, accumulating 19 goals and 3 assists.

Norwich are not the only club to have shown an interest in Bowen, with the youngster also being linked with a move to Premier League heavyweights Tottenham Hotspur prior to the January window. (h/t Sky Sports)

Norwich inched closer to securing an automatic promotion place with a 3-2 victory over Hull at home on Wednesday night, thanks to a brace from Emiliano Buendia.

The Canaries have really turned their fortunes around in the Championship this term under the charismatic guidance of Daniel Farke and few would bet against them making it back to the Premier League at this stage of the season.

Undoubtedly, the fans at Carrow Road have every reason to believe that their team have the character to keep their nerves and make a much-anticipated return to the big stage.

Teemu Pukki have been one of the driving forces behind Norwich’s surge for promotion, with the Finnish international bagging as many as 24 goals and 8 assists from 34 appearances.

He has been well supported by Emiliano Buendia on the right and Onel Hernández on the left. Both the players have racked up an impressive number of goals and assists playing in Farke’s 4-2-3-1 system while youngster Todd Cantwell has emerged as a breakout star for the Canaries.

Despite boasting of commendable firepower in their ranks, Norwich should look to add at least a couple of more quality attackers to their squad in the summer.

They need adequate depth in their squad to survive in the Premier League next season and someone like Jarrod Bowen would fit straight into Farke’s attacking philosophy.

Bowen has starred for Hull City down the right flank with his pace, dribbling skills and goal scoring prowess, which should tempt the Canaries to make a move for him in the summer.

Having scored 14 goals in the Championship last season and 19 so far this term, it would be fair to say that Bowen is a proven talent at the Championship level and his links with the Premier League clubs show that he is capable of thriving in the top flight as well.

Essentially a right-winger by trade, Bowen likes to use his magical left foot to cut inside from the flanks, either having a shot on goal or teeing it up for his teammates.

He likes to take on his opposite number and beat him with his sudden burst of pace and trickery on the ball, whilst also possessing the awareness to get into right positions to finish off moves.

Bowen’s directness, drive and determination should make him a perfect fit for Norwich. To go with his undoubted attacking prowess, the 22-year-old also has the stamina and the awareness to track back and help out his defenders.

His well-rounded attributes would definitely prove to be an asset to Norwich, and that said, they should beat off competition from the other clubs and go all out to sign him next summer.

Bournemouth will not regret signing this 9-time capped international ace to solve goalkeeping woes – Agreed?

Bournemouth Opinion: Cherries should move for Jack Butland this summer

According to Sky Sports, Bournemouth have joined the race to sign Jack Butland from Stoke City in the summer, with manager Eddie Howe keen to bolster his options between the sticks.

Butland has been in impressive form for the Potters in the Championship this season and has managed 14 clean sheets from 38 appearances.

A youth product of Birmingham City, Butland spent time on loan at Cheltenham Town before being snapped up by Stoke in 2013. The Englishman enjoyed fruitful loan spells at Leeds United and Derby County before establishing himself as Stoke’s No.1 between the sticks.

He hasn’t looked back since then and has taken his career to greater heights, earning 37 clean sheets in 124 appearances across all competitions.

A regular for England at all youth levels, Butland has also won 9 caps at the senior international level and represented the Three Lions at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

However, with Stoke looking set for another season in the Championship, Butland might eye an exit in the summer to join a Premier League club.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has preferred the 39-year-old Artur Boruc between the sticks in the Premier League since the turn of the year.

Asmir Begovic started off as the No.1 following an impressive season last time around but the former Chelsea man has been relegated to bench duty since January. Towards the end of the January transfer window, the Sun claimed that Begovic was not in Howe’s plans for a first-team spot and the Cherries were willing to listen to offers for the 31-year-old.

Boruc has done a decent job between the sticks but Bournemouth’s interest in Jack Butland definitely makes a lot of sense. The 26-year-old is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the country and the Cherries would strike gold by getting their hands on the coveted shot-stopper.

Standing at 6ft. 5 inches, Butland has just the ideal height for a goalkeeper, with his long arms giving him a good reach to keep out shots from all ranges.

The Englishman boasts of razor-sharp reflexes and excels with his composure in one-on-one situations, whilst his ball handling is also of the highest quality. The 26-year-old communicates well with his defenders and always seems to have things under control inside his penalty area.

Butland has made a total of 104 saves from 38 appearances in the Championship this term, 52 of which have come from inside the penalty area including 5 from within the six-yard box.

Bournemouth have enjoyed a decent run this season but they should look to build on it and aim for better things next season. They don’t have the best of defensive records, having conceded 56 goals from 31 games and Butland’s presence between the sticks should help them improve massively.

Bournemouth’s goalkeeping crisis would be solved if Eddie Howe signs any of these 3 shot-stoppers – Agreed?

Bournemouth Opinion: 3 ideal replacements for 39-year-old Artur Boruc

Bournemouth were one the Premier League season’s first-half surprise packages as they were able to really shell-shock some of the bigger clubs with the assistance of free-scoring, in-demand striker Callum Wilson.

Other than this, youngster’s have Ryan Fraser, Adam Smith and David Brooks have stepped up to the plate for Eddie Howe’s dynamic side this season. While everything looks in order at the Vitality, closer inspection provided various flaws.

While there are still additions required in both defence and midfield, the most alarming situation is that of the goalkeeper at this club.

The Cherries currently boast two Premier League veterans in Artur Boruc and Asmir Begovic. Reports from The Sun are now linking them with a move for Jack Butland of Stoke City.

While Boruc is 39, Begovic is still only 31. However, neither of them have performed up to the required standard and going into next season, it would be smart on Bournemouth’s part to sign a young goalkeeper who can nail down the starting role at the Vitality.

Here are the three keepers Bournemouth should target who could easily take over as number one at the Vitality:

Jack Butland

The Stoke City goalkeeper has ample experience playing Premier League football and is still only 26-years-old. He has the potential to return to the top-flight and perform at the highest level for many years to come.

Having played regular football in the Championship even this season, the Englishman has notched up 14 clean sheets from his 36 league appearances and also boasts a clean slate in terms of bookings. His composure makes him the ideal candidate to replace Artur Boruc.

Joe Hart

The former English international keeper had a largely unsuccessful spell in Italy when he made the switch to Torino on loan from Manchester City. As it became clear that his time at the Etihad was over, he moved on to Sean Dyche’s Burnley last summer.

The 31-year-old has kept 4 clean sheets from his 19 league appearances this season but his regularity in the squad has been limited due to the stiff competition that he faces from Tom Heaton. He still has many good years ahead of him and Bournemouth could result in Hart’s return to former glory.

Benjamin Lecomte

This Montpellier goalkeeper has been in fine form in Ligue in this season and has really come to the fore over the last few years. A product of the same club as Arsenal star Matteo Guendouzi, the former Lorient man is still only 27-years-old.

He joined Montpellier in the summer of 2017 and has conceded only 34 goals from his 28 league games this season. Having kept 9 clean sheets along the way as well, Eddie Howe needn’t think twice about making a move for this talented French star.

Who is this 19-year-old Championship wonder kid being surveyed by Premier League giants? All you need to know

Premier League Opinion: Scout Report – Bilal Brahimi

Middlesbroughare a club that have always been renowned for producing some of the best young talents that English football has seen. Their Rockliffe Park Academy has a long history for only developing the brightest, most talented players.

Players such as Lee Cattermole, Stuart Downing and James Morrison are living legacies of this famous football clubs. Even now, their production quality certainly hasn’t dropped. One player from their academy is now turning heads even at Premier League level.

Bilal Brahimi is a 19-year-old French left-winger who currently features mainly for the Boro U23 side although he did make a first-team appearance earlier this season. His exploits have attracted interest from both Liverpool and Newcastle United, as suggested by Hull Live.

Background

Brahimi was born in Paris, France on the 14th of March in 2000 and that’s where stayed until 2017 when he finally made the switch to a professional football clubs.

After spending time with multiple amateur clubs within Paris, he was signed up by Leixoes who play in the Portuguese 2nd division.

It was here that he was scouted by Middlesbrough and
within a year of being in Portugal, he was given the opportunity to spread his
wings as a footballer at the famous Middlesbrough academy. Since then, there’s
been no stopping him as he’s turned into one of their brightest young
prospects.

Since he mostly represents the U23 side, he plays in
the Premier League 2 and has scored once and assisted once in his 13 league
appearances this season. His lone first team appearance came in August when he
came on in an EFL Cup against Rochdale.

Style of Play

He is a tricky winger who loves to get on the ball but
also displays amazing unselfishness in the final third. His ambition to pick
out teammates is matched by his ability as the eventuality of a misplaced pass
from the youngster is rare.

Quite direct in his approach, he has the right
attributes to develop into a tricky Premier League winger given the right
training and nurturing. All this added to the fact that he also plays as a
striker, means that he’s effectively guaranteed a future in the English game.

The Way Forward

Brahimi turned 19 just a week ago and pushing a player of such youth into making a difficult decision could have serious effects on his growth as a player and hence it would be best for him to stay at Middlesbrough for at least another season.

With that said, when clubs like Liverpool or Newcastle
United come calling, irrespective of who you are, it will be really difficult
to turn them down and with the right intentions, he can be turned into a
superstar in the coming years.